LiveLaw High Courts Daily Highlights: September 29, 2026

Mother-In-Law Not Liable To Maintain Widowed Daughter-In-Law, Her Children Under Section 125 CrPC: Telangana High CourtCalcutta High Court Dismisses Congress Plea Challenging Age Discrepancy In BJP Nandigram By-Poll Candidate's AffidavitCustodial Interrogation Not Required Merely For Recovery Of Stridhan: Delhi High Court Potency Test Can't Be Ordered Routinely In Rape Case Alleging Digital Penetration: Telangana High Court Kerala High Court Quashes Govt Order Abolishing Police Officers'...

NLU Prayagraj Caste Discrimination Case: High Court Chief Justice Recuses From Hearing Professor's Appeal Against Single Judge Order

Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Arun Bhansali today recused himself from hearing an appeal filed by a professor against the Single Judge's order directing an inquiry by Judicial Officers into allegations of caste-based humiliation and discrimination at Dr. Rajendra Prasad National Law University, Prayagraj.Chief Justice Bhansali is the Chancellor of the University.The appeal was listed before the Chief Justice-led bench after a Division Bench earlier stayed further proceedings in the writ...

Kerala High Court Rule Committee Decided To Delete Rule On “Tom-Tom” Proclamation During Property Attachments: HC PIO

The Rule Committee of the Kerala High Court has resolved to delete the rule under the Code of Civil Procedure relating to “tom-tom” proclamation during property attachment.The development came to light in a reply given by the High Court's Public Information Officer to a query made by Boban Mattumantha under the Right to Information Act. In the reply, the PIO has stated that Rule Committee has decided to delete sub-rule (2) of Order XXI Rule 54 CPC, which deals with the proclamation.Order XXI...

Can A Dowry Death Case Be Quashed Because Woman Allegedly Died Of Heart Attack? Allahabad High Court Answers

The Allahabad High Court has refused to quash a dowry death case against a mother-in-law, holding that the fact that a woman died from shock resulting from myocardial infarction (heart attack) could not, by itself, be treated as conclusive proof at the quashing stage that her death was purely natural.A bench of Justice Chawan Prakash observed that where a young woman dies within seven years of marriage amid specific allegations of dowry-related cruelty or harassment, it cannot automatically be...

'Let Children Of Convict Not Lose Their Mother': P&H High Court Commutes Woman's Death Penalty For Burying Toddler Alive

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has commuted the death sentence of a Ludhiana woman convicted of kidnapping her neighbours' two-year-old granddaughter and burying her alive in a pit. It substituted rigorous imprisonment for 30 years without remission, while upholding her conviction.A Division Bench of Justice Vinod S. Bhardwaj and Justice Ravinder Malik held that although the offence was gruesome, the case did not warrant capital punishment as the only possible sentence. It said the accused...

Selection Committee Can't Use Interview As 'Veto' To Declare Candidate Unsuitable When No Minimum Marks Prescribed: P&H High Court

The Punjab & Haryana High Court has held that where a recruitment advertisement prescribes a composite, multi-stage selection scheme without any minimum qualifying marks for the interview, a Selection Committee cannot declare a candidate "Not Found Suitable" solely on the basis of the interview, disregarding his merit under the other notified parameters.Justice Harpreet Singh Brar observed that such an exercise amounts to introducing, at the assessment stage, a disqualification...

Repatriation Of Deputationist Without Prior Hearing Valid If No Stigma Or Adverse Civil Consequence: MP High Court

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has held that a deputationist can be repatriated to his parent department without prior notice or an opportunity of hearing where the order does not cast any stigma or impose any adverse civil consequence. [2026 LiveLaw (MP) 393]The bench of Justice Anand Singh Bahrawat observed,"A deputationist can be repatriated to his parent Department, particularly when no statutory rule has been violated and the order of repatriation is neither arbitrary nor mala fide. The...

'Animals Feel Pain, Stress And Fear': J&K&L High Court Flags Inadequate Penalties For Animal Cruelty

The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, while quashing a preventive detention order under the J&K Public Safety Act, 1978, has made significant observations on the need to strengthen the legal framework dealing with cruelty to animals, particularly in view of the low penalties prescribed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.The Court was hearing an intra-court appeal against the dismissal of a habeas corpus petition challenging the detention of one Anwar Jan under...

Madras High Court Refuses To Recall Order Directing Micro/Nano Plastic Warning Labels On Water, Sugar, Salt; Says Consumer Has Right To Know

The Madras High Court has refused to review its decision mandating warning labels on plastic/PET drinking water bottles and salt/sugar packets with respect to the presence of microplastics and nanoplastics. The bench of Justice N Satish Kumar and Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy dismissed a review application filed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Pet...

Rape | DNA Report Inadmissible Without Examining Scientific Expert Who Conducted Test: Gujarat High Court

The Gujarat High Court upheld the acquittal of a man in a rape case while observing that the prosecution did not examine the expert who conducted the DNA profiling test and in absence of such testimony the report was inadmissible in evidence. [2026 LiveLaw (Guj) 263]The court was hearing State's appeal against trial court order acquitting the respondent of charges under Sections 64(2)(m) (Rape under False Promise or Deceit) and 89(Causing Miscarriage Without Woman's Consent) BNS and Sections 4...

PM Modi Degree Row: Gujarat High Court Rejects Arvind Kejriwal's Appeal Against Order Imposing ₹25,000 Cost

The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday (September 29) rejected Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal's appeal against an order imposing a cost of ₹25,000 on him in connection with the disclosure of information concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree.Kejriwal had preferred the appeal against the March 2023 judgment of a single judge, which had quashed a 2016 Central Information Commission (CIC) direction requiring Gujarat University to provide information concerning degrees in the name of...

Madras High Court Dismisses Plea Asking MLAs Who Resigned After Election To Reimburse Election Expenses; Imposes Costs

The Madras High Court, on Tuesday (September 29), dismissed a plea seeking a direction on the MLAs who resigned soon after elections to reimburse the election expenses. The bench of Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan also imposed a cost of Rs 1 Lakh on the petitioner for seeking the same relief, which had already been dismissed by the court. The court remarked...